Lost and found pet turns out to be rare purebed cat

LAST week we had a phone call from one of the local pre-schools. They were concerned about a cat which had been loitering around the school for several days.

Not only did it seem to be homeless but they were quite alarmed by its appearance.

It was very small and thin and had lost most of its fur and they assumed that it was either gravely ill, undernourished, very old or all of the above.

So they scooped it up and brought the "poor pathetic specimen" into the clinic.

What they had found was a quite healthy, purebred devon rex female cat!

Devon rex are cute looking cats, in the same way that E.T. was a cute looking alien.

The breed is said to have originated in a litter born in a mine in Devon in 1960 with a unique mutation that resulted in very short curled fur and among other traits, disproportionately large radar-dish ears.

Also referred to as a cross between a cat, a dog and a monkey, they are highly intelligent, trainable like a dog, mischievous and people-oriented.

We christened her Sigourney and tended to a sore eye, then handed her on to her kindly foster mum, Helen.

Helen poured on the love whilst putting the word out for anyone who may have lost a devon rex.

After a few days Helen thought she would put up a notice on the local community noticeboard - Found: Small devon rex cat, please phone this number.

As she to pinned her sign on the board she was gobsmacked at the adjacent notice.

After a double take and a couple of "No ways", there it was: LOST: Female devon rex cat, I am an indoor cat and don't know about cars and dogs, and am much loved, along with a photo, phone Paula!

So Sigourney, who until now had rarely ventured outdoors, has been reunited with her rightful owner.

One take-home message from this is that even if you have an indoor pet, microchipping is not only a legal requirement but a good idea!